In what most people who follow the Columbia theatre community has seen coming for months, the Board of Directors of Trustus Theatre has announced that the Executive Director, Leila Ibrahim, has resigned, effective immediately.
Ibrahim was hired for the Trustus position after less than one year serving as the Florence Little Theatre's executive director. She applied for the Trustus position a little over 6 months after assuming her post in Florence.
In their official statement, the Trustus board states, "Ibrahim worked closely with the staff of Trustus to further develop business oversight, event execution and sponsorship support. Ibrahim specifically aided in overseeing the launch of a new website and implementing a revenue generating ticketing software platform."
Ibrahim's tenure at Trustus was rocky. Word quickly spread throughout the tight-knit theatre community that there were issues involving missed grant applications, and alienation of patrons, company members, and fellow staffers. Speculation on her departure started as early as last spring.
“We are very appreciative of Leila’s efforts while at Trustus,” states President of the Board of Directors, Harrison Saunders. “She has made great contributions to the organization during her time here and has brought fresh ideas grounded in her deep knowledge of the theatre industry. On behalf of the Board, we all wish her the best in her future endeavors."
The Board plans to explore a full range of options as it considers Ibrahim’s successor. “I'm thankful for my time working with Trustus Theatre and am glad I was able to further develop their operations to support the mission of the theatre,” states Ibrahim.